Emma Roberts Interview

"I Can't Fathom Anyone Else In These Roles"

You play a depressed girl in a mental hospital, but the ward is actually a very happy place. Tell me, did you ever think of how it got to be the way that is was, with all these people suffering?

Emma Roberts: That’s a very original question. For me, it felt like the psychiatric hospital was just a backdrop. These characters are just going on a journey of self-discovery, and their relationships that they have with people, and showing that they aren’t stereotypes just because of what is wrong with them, and anyone could be suffering from this and you might not even know it. That’s why I love Noelle -- is that she has this deep-rooted problem, and yet she is concerned about whether the boy likes her or not in the psychiatric hospital. So whether you are in the real world or a psychiatric hospital, you’re worrying about boys.

The universal truth.

ER: Which, for me, is a very relatable point!

Yeah, for sure. Now she develops a relationship with Craig, and I’m wondering why? Is it because he was just there?

ER: I don’t know. I think that they had this chemistry -- I know from experience that when you meet a boy as a friend, or as a boyfriend, that you can have just fun banter with, and you can make fun of and not have it be offensive, or that you can just be comfortable with so, that’s what I think she felt around Craig.

Yes, because their relationship did work, they were, like, in a lifeboat together.

ER: Yes, I though it was just really sweet.

And quite romantic really.

ER: It was romantic, and just really cute. It’s fun, because Keir and my relationship off camera was very similar to what you see on screen, minus the romantic aspect. The two of us would just go at it with the banter, and he’d make fun of me all the time and I’d make fun of him. We had a good time together. Isn’t he cool? He’s a great actor. I remember after I saw the movie, I told him, “I fell in love with you in the movie.” And he was like “Oh thanks.” He’s so sweet and amazing in the movie.

Keir told me about excercises you did to get to know each other -- one particularly that you did at the bus stop.

ER: Oh. I can’t believe he remembers that! They would give us these scenarios, as if I would want him to go away, and he would want to talk about a cat, so there would be these two different conversations going on, and I could just not keep it together. I’d just lose it!

Must have been really hard doing this film!

ER: We all got along really well. We were all in this one location in the hospital, for two months, so you can’t help but become close with people that you are seeing every day for 10 hours a day. It was fun, and it was a great cast. I feel like everyone was so perfect for their part. I can’t even fathom anyone else playing these roles. You see some films that are ensemble pieces, and even some films with just a few prominent leads, and sometimes there is a weak link, whether that be in the script or in the acting; but, in this everything just worked and came around at the end and just worked.

The thing about depression, or just feeling sad, is that it is universal. What do you do to cheer yourself up when you are feeling down?

ER: I always, well, see movies like comedies, or even movies -- if they’re sad -- at least make you feel like you’re not alone in that. That's always great. Also, just being around friends always cheers you up. With my friends, they’re always on the go and happy and all over the place, so that’s always fun. And I hang out with my little sister, she’s 9, and she’s always a lot of fun. I’ll play board games with her and go to the movies.